Short-term Research Training for Veterinary Students in Wisconsin

Project Summary The purpose of this program is to provide a 12-week mentored research experience for veterinary students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The traditional veterinary curriculum lacks formal training in performance of research: therefore, this summer research exposure experience is an essential way to expose DVM students to the research process within a tier-one research institution and encourage them to consider research-oriented careers. This program has been integral to our ability to recruit prospective veterinary medical students with research interests to our DVM professional program at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. It has also been fundamental to our success in increasing the number of minority veterinary students pursuing research training, informing veterinary medical students of careers in research, and exposing veterinary students to important discussions related to research ethics, responsible conduct of research, and the skills and tools required for successful careers in research. The over-arching objective of this program is to introduce veterinary medical students to research. They gain a working knowledge of how to identify a problem of significance to the health and welfare of animals and/or humans, learn how to develop a hypothesis to test focused questions, build a plan to identify and validate appropriate techniques to pursue, analyze and report data. The students undergo workshops to promote excellent science communication in both oral and written formats. Trainees participate in regularly scheduled laboratory meetings and weekly seminars designed specifically for these goals within the 12-week summer timeline. Trainees are expected to present the results of their research at the summer veterinary research scholars symposium (typically the NIH-Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars Program Symposium held annually in August) or at seminars or symposiums held at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. The University of Wisconsin in general, and the School of Veterinary Medicine in particular, provides an ideal environment to support short-term research training for veterinary students. The proposed program is designed to integrate with additional graduate research training programs within the School of Veterinary Medicine to provide a continuum of support for veterinary students that are inspired to pursue advanced research training.